There are some places most of us never want to go - and close to the top of many people's list will be a mental health unit. We can fear being 'locked up', held against our will, branded mentally ill, forced to take medication we don't want.

Our view of what a 'mental hospital' is has been shaped by years of films, TV and books. But how many of us have a genuine idea of what it is like inside a unit?

Is it still Bedlam, are our hospitals still asylums? Herald health reporter Charlotte Turner went to the Glebourne Unit to find out.

Firsthand account of life at Glenbourne

I'm sure I'm not the only one to conjure up images of straitjackets, padded rooms and restraining tables when thinking about a mental health unit.

But the reality could be no further from the scenes we've all seen in films and on TV, as I found out when I went to the Glenbourne Unit.

Although it's a hospital for people suffering with mental health problems, it doesn't feel that way – far from a hospital environment in fact.

Gone are the days of bland dormitories and clinical strip lighting.

Glenbourne is a 'normal' environment – you'll spot walls full of inspirational quotes written on butterflies and little trinkets reminding us all that everything is going to be OK.

The old smoking area at Glenbourne - a far cry from the lovely green gardens they have now

I didn't know what to expect having never been inside a mental health unit, but those preconceived ideas from those films haven't helped the situation for negative stereotyping.

The staff here (who are some of the most hilarious and upbeat people I've encountered) tell me early on that when they looked up Glenbourne on the internet, people used the name in a derogatory way – 'I've gone a bit Glenbourne' or 'I'll be put into Glenbourne' were two that came up.

To set the record straight, Glenbourne is one of the friendliest and safest places I've been to.

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There are no dingy corridors or ominous locked rooms and certainly no doctors in white jackets.

Staff dress informally and people on the wards roam as they like around the unit, and thanks to the recent refurbishment, it doesn't feel clinical or hospital like at all.

Twelve months ago, Glenbourne underwent huge changes, transforming it to an outstanding centre recognised by the Care Quality Commission, backed up by their drastic refurbishment which has made life at the unit better for patients and staff.

Carole Love and Lucy Hill in the ECT room

Gone are the cramped dormitories where four patients would have to share a room with just one toilet – now replaced with bright private single rooms, some en suite.

Even the lighting is designed to help people spending time in Glenbourne – designed by NASA, the lights change with the weather, replicating natural light in sync with the seasons – which also lifts the mood.

There are two wards that provide care, assessment and treatment to people in an acute crisis phase who can no longer remain safely at home – the Harford ward for males and the Bridford ward for females. Each has 19 beds.

People can self refer here or be brought in under the Mental Health Act for their safety.

Patients are all assessed individually for their needs and will only stay at Glenbourne if they are a serious risk to themselves, and if they can be supported outside of Glenbourne, that will be done too by a dedicated discharge team headed by Gemma Hayward, who will help with things like benefits and housing, to simple things like cleaning a flat which can have such a positive impact on a person and make all the difference.

The ECT room

There's a green planted garden with benches and a transparent seascape scene covering the back, a far cry from the tiny barred smoking area which people used to use.

Above the ground floor is the occupational therapy areas, a gym, a huge art studio and a therapy room, where activities such as table tennis, yoga and mindfulness take place each day.

People on the wards are encouraged to get up, get dressed and get on with the day, attending a few sessions or if well enough, go out and about as part of their recovery.

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Dr Lindsay Aikman, Glenbourne's ward psychologist, has an open door policy so people can come and talk to her whenever they feel.

I'm told that no two days are the same, that some days can be testing but that most days are calm.

All of the staff are bubbly and happy, and clearly have very strong relationships with the people they help to support.

Verdict from a patient: "The staff have gone above and beyond to make me feel safe"

Chloe Wood, a patient for the last two weeks at Glenbourne, can't thank the staff enough for how they have helped her.

Fourteen days ago, she had tried to take her own life, and now, she's just about to go home.

"This is my first admission to Glenbourne for a suicide attempt," said the mum-of-two.

"I came here willingly after four days of being hospitalised, but I was really nervous and developed a stutter.

"My anxiety was so high and it was daunting to be here. The first week was a bit of a blur – but the staff really have gone above and beyond to make me feel safe and comfortable.

"To begin with I was in the extra care room [high observation and monitoring] and I was really shocked that I had my own room – I'm a person who likes to have my own space so it was special to have a bathroom in the room especially with anxiety.

The Glebourne Unit

"It was a rough first week – I didn't want to come out of my room.

"But staff encouraged me to get out and engage, but they weren't forceful.

"I went to occupational therapy, a session about coping skills. It was a nice step to meet people who knew exactly how you feel.

"I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and it was such a massive relief. One of the symptoms is not being able to identify with yourself and now I know that's why I was feeling the way I did.

"Now it's positive, I feel like I'm back to being me and that I'm not just kidding myself," added the 22-year-old from Newton Abbott.

"I feel ready to go home now. This week I've been able to go out with my friend and walk the dog, and yesterday I went to see my children at home.

"It is completely different [Glenbourne] – you hear so much negative stuff about it like straitjackets and you have an idea in your head, even if you tell people you're here, they're like , oh my god – but its just like any having any other physical illness, you shouldn't be ashamed of it or for having support."

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As well as the therapies already mentioned, some people still have electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

This is done under general anaesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure.

It's not proven, but it is thought that ECT causes changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses, particularly severe depression.

And before you get to thinking about Frankenstein, horrible convulsions and the kind of electrocutions which happen in the movies, you can stop.

A muscle relaxant is now given to patients along with the general anaesthetic, and they're put under for no longer than five minutes. ECT itself takes a matter of seconds after the paddles are applied to the temples.

The amazing staff who put words into action

Senior nurse Carole Love and Lucy Hill, ECT recovery nurse, say the difference in those who they treat is instantly recognisable.

"We had one person who was completely catatonic, would not eat or drink or even move, they were so poorly they were admitted to Derriford Hospital and had to be fed by tube," said Carole and Lucy.

"He was discharged just five weeks later. It took only 10 sessions of ECT, going from being tube fed to going home, talking to us about his hobbies and his interest.

"You do see a change immediately. The first time you get to see some sign of emotion, which lasts for maybe a few hours. This builds and builds each session."

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Only a small percentage of patients at Glenbourne need ECT – usually only between one and three people staying on the wards at one time.

On each ward there is a general treatment room meaning that people at the unit don't have the fuss of going over to the hospital, and there is also a place of safety room in between the two wards, where a person detained under the Mental Health Act would be brought.

People can be "quite angry" or upset when they first come here, and furniture is heavy so if tempers do flare, there's damage limitation. From here they'll be assessed and it is decided whether they will be admitted into Glenbourne or not.

Glenbourne is not a place we should keep associating with those horror films.

Glenbourne is just as welcoming as any other hospital, home or workplace you've been in, and the people ere are receiving outstanding care to get them back on track.